As a traditional, non-digital illustrator/painter (no Photoshop, Illustrator or Corel ... just oil and canvas), I have been commissioned by numerous publications from The New York Times to The Village Voice. For the last decade, I've been concentrating on painting larger canvases and exploring deadline/art director-free conceptual approaches.
Socio-political illustrative commentary ... shaken, not stirred.
"3-SUM IN 2-SON NO. 2"
featuring Neda Contreras, Gary Aagaard, E.M.Contreras
When: April 3- April 27, 2013
Tues.-Fri. 11-5, Sat. 11-4
Reception April 6 during 1st Saturday Art Walks - 6 pm. to 9 pm.
SOLO SHOW (name to be announced)
When: October 6 - 26, 2013
Tues.-Fri. 11-5, Sat. 11-4
Opening reception - Sat. Oct. 6th, 6-9 pm
ONGOING
Ward-Nasse Gallery in Manhattan permanently holds a decade's representation of my work (with solo shows there in 2005 and 2007).
POP Gallery displays and represents my work in Santa Fe, NM.
In the news
"March of the Lunartic" (right) was Selected by the American Illustration 32 jury for inclusion in the AI32 Annual and will be part of their online Archive and Slideshow. From 8,742 pictures entered, the jury Selected, by a majority vote or better, only 369 images to appear in the American Illustration 32 Annual. (Note: March of the Lunartic appears as No. 1 in the slideshow sequence online.) The painting will also be printed in full color and distributed worldwide in hardcover immediately after The Party & Big Talk, Nov. 6-7, 2013, American Illustration's two, annual book-launch events in New York City that celebrate the winners.
(Update Part Deux) Holy Holly was just accepted into the juried international 3x3 ProShow No. 10. The painting received a Merit Award in the Gallery category. The winning entry will be reproduced in the upcoming hardbound 3x3 Illustration Annual No. 10.
(Update) Recently, Holy Holly was selected as a winner in the Applied Arts 2013 Photography & Illustration Awards competition. The painting was the only piece selected in the Portrait Illustration/Single category. The winners of this international juried show will be reproduced in the June 2013 Applied Arts Magazine.
My most recent commission, Holy Holly (my working title), was a collaborative effort. Harry Nasse, the owner of Ward-Nasse Gallery in NYC, was contacted by a collector who had seen my work several years ago while strolling through Soho. Shortly after speaking with Harry, the collector, James, contacted me and shared his vision, apparently something he had been fantasizing about for over a decade. James, a huge Buddy Holly fan, imagined Buddy crucified on the instrument of his untimely demise, a 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza 35 (V-tail). As a backdrop, James wanted the background of the Mona Lisa, one of his favorite paintings.
After a two hour phone conversation with James, I set out to realize his vision. The first hurdle was figuring out what was directly behind the figure of Mona Lisa, quite a challenge if you've ever looked closely at the background. Clearly, her head and shoulders blocked out a lot of real estate. I finally decided to use clouds to solve my problem and bonus, it gave the scene a more ethereal feel. Obviously, I needed to alter Da Vinci's background and make it a bit more contemporary to match Buddy in the foreground. thus my stylized version which in hindsight reminds me a bit of Thomas Hart Benton. Rather than use the call numbers of the actual doomed plane (N3794N), I selected 231959, the date of Buddy's death (2-3-1959). Also, I buried an ode to the MIA Mona Lisa herself somewhere in the painting.
Despite my initial hesitation towards approaching a concept not of my making, Holy Holly was a challenging and enjoyable project. Hopefully, it will appeal to Buddy Holly enthusiasts and non-BH fans alike........... Holy Holly (40" x 30" oil on canvas).
